1. Field of the Invention
This application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 61/441,163 filed on Feb. 9, 2011, and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The present invention relates to headrest and support assemblies and, more particularly, to a removably engageable headrest and support assembly configured for operative engagement with a wheelchair. The disclosed device is adapted to removably engage and support the weight of the headrest device itself and anything additionally engaged thereon, securely upon the handles of the chair. So supported, the device is easily disengageable for storage or for an engagement to another chair with a simple sliding engagement and no tools.
2. Prior Art
It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans residing outside of medical institutions employ manually operated wheelchairs. Reasons for wheelchair use can range from temporary injury rehabilitation to life long use from birth or after a severe injury. Users of wheelchairs are continually maintained in a seated position over extended periods of time and are offered only limited mobility. As such, wheelchair users as well as their loved ones often desire to provide the wheelchair user with the most comfortable seating experience possible.
Comfortable and ergonomic headrests in conventional chairs and other seated arrangements are extremely important for proper head and neck support where improper positioning and use can cause pain and even long term damage. This is even more true for wheelchair users who experience limited control of the neck muscles. When wheelchairs are used for temporary patient rehabilitation or when they are permanent fixtures of a person's life, the importance of proper head and neck support can make a huge difference in the person's recovery and overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, a conventional manual as well as motorized wheelchair available to the average consumer consists of a seating platform and backrest, and more often than not no specific neck or head support. Manual versions of such a chair are considered the bare minimum of medical technology for the patient and usually what insurance will buy. Without insurance such manual versions of wheelchairs are most affordable and available to average consumers.
Advancements in modern medical technology, however, have driven the evolution of the wheelchair to provide some support and some increase in the quality of life for individuals who would otherwise be fully incapacitated. These chairs can provide full body support, including neck and head, employ hydraulics and motors, and can have the ability to position the user in the standing position. Such adaptation with technology tends to increase costs, producing some with price tags in the tens of thousands of dollars. These types of chairs are employed by severely incapacitated users.
To the average consumer, be they significantly injured or just recovering from knee surgery, such expensive motorized chairs are simply unattainable. As a result, many consumers attempt to modify the conventional canvas or material supported wheelchair with attachments to fill certain needs. Head and neck support is one of those needs most sought after.
Some prior art efforts in headrest attachments are seen in full force. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,996 to Carnahan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,836 Hudson III et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,574 to Carwin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,028 to Kornberg, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,735 to Helman teach headrest assemblies that are engageable to a wheelchair, often to the structural elements such as the frame, handles, or other rigid element in a manner that does not disturb the seating or backrest platforms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,704 to Hildreth teaches a slidably and removably engaged headrest assembly for a wheelchair. Although providing convenient means for removability as well as maintaining simplicity, the headrest of Hildreth is supported by a less than rigid fabric backrest of the wheelchair. Support is therefor limited to the condition and tensile strength and stretched condition of the fabric providing the backrest. Even sturdy reinforced fabric backs, after extended periods of time, can become uncomfortable if not painful to users and are in no manner adapted to support weight vertically downward.
The available devices to provide such support, however, require complex assembly with permanent or mechanical engagement of many components. The need for employment of such complicated and permanent engagement means does not easily permit removable engagement in a hospital, convalescent home, the user's home, or other settings where wheelchairs are used from patient to patient, or when neck and head support is temporarily undesirable.
Additionally, many lower cost fabric based wheelchairs collapse for transport in a vehicle or storage, and then must be expanded for use. Consequently, any device engageable to the wheel chair for head support and to support and communicate the weight of luggage, bags, or other items to the chair, must also engage with the chair and collapse, or be disengageable quickly, and without tools when the chair is to be collapsed. Once collapsed and then re-enlarged, such a device must be easily re-engaged to the chair, and then allow attachment of luggage, and coats, and purses and the like thereto so that the user or caregiver need not have to carry it at the same time as navigating with the wheelchair.
As mentioned, for many wheelchair users the chair additionally provides a means to transport their belongings such as purses, bags, backpacks, or luggage. The user conventionally places their belongings on their lap, or if possible, hangs the bag or other belongings off the push handle located on the rear of the chair. However, belongings positioned on the user lap may further limit the mobility of the user especially if the user does not have aid from a caregiver to propel the chair. Further, many chair styles do not offer push handles or other means to securely engaged belongings. Consequently, users and/or caregivers must somehow move the wheelchair while also carrying or somehow supporting their luggage, purses, coats, and other items that move with the patient which can be quite difficult and dangerous.
As such there is a continuing and unmet need for an improved removably engageable headrest and transport assembly for a wheelchair. Such a device should be easily assembled, and more importantly be easily engageable and disengageable, to any of a plurality of wheelchairs. Such a device should provide this means for easy engagement to allow for easy transfer to another chair or to allow the chair to be collapsed and re-enlarged again. Importantly, such a device should anticipate engagement to a fabric-based chair and should be configured with a contact means to the chair, whereby the weight of the device and anything attached to it is fully supported by the rigid frame without tools.
Further, such a device once engaged, should be selectively adjustable for supporting a user's head support needs as well as adapted to slidably engage upon a wide variety of wheelchairs. Finally, in so doing, such a device must still provide weight support through a contact with the frame of the chosen chair, and do so without tools or compression fittings. The device should also engage in such a manner to maintain the ergonomic comforts provided by the wheelchair to which it is engaged.